{"id":974,"date":"2014-10-02T12:35:25","date_gmt":"2014-10-02T12:35:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/hr-advice\/?p=974"},"modified":"2019-10-10T20:19:56","modified_gmt":"2019-10-11T03:19:56","slug":"the-when-and-why-of-hr-for-small-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/the-when-and-why-of-hr-for-small-business\/","title":{"rendered":"The When and Why of HR for Small Business"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-976\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/the-when-and-why-e1441248353528.jpg\" alt=\"The When and Why of HR for Small Business\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/the-when-and-why-e1441248353528.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/the-when-and-why-e1441248353528-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/the-when-and-why-e1441248353528-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_50 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\" role=\"button\"><label for=\"item-69edc9b98c402\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><input  type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item-69edc9b98c402\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/the-when-and-why-of-hr-for-small-business\/#Aligned_for_Business_Results\" title=\"Aligned for Business Results\">Aligned for Business Results<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/the-when-and-why-of-hr-for-small-business\/#Where_HR_Counts_Most\" title=\"Where HR Counts Most\">Where HR Counts Most<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/the-when-and-why-of-hr-for-small-business\/#Catalyst_and_Caretaker_of_Change\" title=\"Catalyst and Caretaker of Change\">Catalyst and Caretaker of Change<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p><em>\u2018When and Why Do I Need HR?\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n<p>There are no two questions I hear more often in my conversations with small-to-mid-sized business owners.<\/p>\n<p>The truth is that there is no magic number of employees required and no successful company of two people succeeds without it. What today\u2019s HR brings to the table speaks directly to big results for businesses large and small: namely, mindset, mission and motivation.<\/p>\n<p>A major part of the enigma around HR for small business owners stems from a miscomprehension of what HR actually does.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, the only other question I hear nearly as often is exactly that.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2018What Does HR Do?\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In order for any organization to be successful, it must have strategic and operational goals. To achieve these goals, well, that comes down to its people and that brings us to HR.<\/p>\n<p>Its mandate is to ensure that the right people are doing the right things at the right time in the right environment\u2014and are happy doing so. Now more than ever, that is key.<\/p>\n<p>Why then is HR also the last piece of the puzzle for so many businesses?<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Aligned_for_Business_Results\"><\/span>Aligned for Business Results<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Put simply, a lot of people still associate with the \u2018old\u2019 HR, and admittedly there is still a bit of it about. That said, HR has come a long way since the days of personnel. In fact, today\u2019s HR is nothing short of the competitive edge sought after by all businesses.<\/p>\n<p>This is no secret to larger organizations familiar with the high cost of <span class=\"pearl-hilighted-word\" style=\"color: black; background: #ffff66;\">turnover<\/span> in a competitive marketplace facing a labour shortage. The impact of losing even a single employee in a small business is that much greater.<\/p>\n<p>When effectively aligned with an organization\u2019s purpose and goals, HR objectives, practices and policies essentially drive operational success. With its involvement at all points in the talent cycle, HR is in a unique position to influence the workplace.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Where_HR_Counts_Most\"><\/span>Where HR Counts Most<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Strategic HR views the business as a whole, fostering interdepartmental relationships and helping coordinate employee roles within these groups. Its practices provide the common thread that transcends organizational levels and links technical and supporting functions. As such, well-designed HR strategies keep the business connected operationally, which ultimately supports its objectives.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some examples of how HR can have a positive impact:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Attract and retain top talent;<\/li>\n<li>Increase employee engagement and decrease unnecessary <span class=\"pearl-hilighted-word\" style=\"color: black; background: #ffff66;\">turnover<\/span>;<\/li>\n<li>Drive productivity and increase cost savings;<\/li>\n<li>Leverage business advantages to increase profitability; and<\/li>\n<li>Promote innovation and create new business opportunities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>What is key for any successful HR initiative is the link to the big picture of the business\u2014regardless of whether that business is big, small or somewhere in-between.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Catalyst_and_Caretaker_of_Change\"><\/span>Catalyst and Caretaker of Change<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Moreover, HR serves as both the catalyst and caretaker of change in an organization, and ultimately, speaks to the unrealized potential within any business. No business moves to loftier goals without anchoring the basics\u2014as complex as they might be.<\/p>\n<p>Why then HR? It\u2019s quite simply because HR creates business success through people\u2014synergizing diverse talents with a singular focus too often extraordinary results.<\/p>\n<p><em>This is the first in an ongoing series exploring the benefits of HR with a specific focus on the when and why of HR for small-to-mid-sized business owners.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Read also:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/business-partnerships-outsourcing-hr\/\">Outsourcing HR<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/hiring-for-the-small-employer\/\">Hiring for the Small Employer<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/employee-benefit-plans-that-small-firms-can-afford\/\">Employee Benefit Plans that Small Firms Can Afford<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2018When and Why Do I Need HR?\u2019 There are no two questions I hear more often in my conversations with small-to-mid-sized business owners. The truth is that there is no magic number of employees required and no successful company of two people succeeds without it. What today\u2019s HR brings to the table speaks directly to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[149],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/974"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=974"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/974\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6268,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/974\/revisions\/6268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=974"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=974"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bcjobs.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=974"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}